Late onset Hayfever

[boyse7en]

Well, after 40-odd years wandering about this planet without any major issues, Mother Nature has decided I needed a bit of a reality check and has deigned to give me hayfever.

So I've got the sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes (boy, do they hurt!) and not much idea about how to tackle or treat it.

Been to chemists and got some Loratadine tablets, but they don't seem to have a massive effect.
Tried necking some of the kids' Piriton, but that just made me fall asleep.

Anyone else suffering who can recommend anything?

[SilverSixer]

Loratadine plus Beconase up the hooter. The latter twice a day.

Mine starts in February (tree pollen) and lasts until August. When it starts hitting, it takes the medication a few days/a week to get on top of it, then I'm fine so long as I remember to take it every day. After a few weeks I find I can cut the Beconase down a bit.

If Loratadine isn't doing it try the other main kind, cetirizine.

Buy 60-packs of unbranded Loratadine at an Asda pharmacy - way, way cheaper than buying the branded, advertised stuff in 7s. About 2 quid for 60 as opposed to £4.99 for the branded 7 packs.

Good luck, hope you get it under control. I've been at it for 30 years now. It's misery.

[barryrs]

I feel your pain although mine started a little earlier in my early thirties.

My personal experience is avoid "hayfever" tablets and pick up a generic allergy relief type as its the same thing but much cheaper and if i have a problem later in the day a shot of Otrivine in each nostril sorts it.

[Paul Dishman]

I started hayfever when I was in my late thirties, but being a working pharmacist was able to try out all the available remedies.

Personally I take Cetirizine tablets daily as they seem to last a bit longer than Loratidine. For eye symptoms use Sodium Cromoglycate eye drops and for nasal symptoms Beclomethasone nasal spray.

You have to take/use the above regularly for maximum effect as intermittent use doesn't work. We used to get patients in asking for hay fever remedies and saying that they'd tried something that didn't work, it usually turned out that they'd taken one tablet the previous week

[Stu R]

It's quite normal for one type of antihistamine to work and the other not to. If you're not getting any relief with loratadine try diphenhydramine and visa versa. There's a few other options too.

[WinstonWolf]

Teaspoon of local raw honey every morning. Has to be local and has to be raw (unprocessed). It works by desensitising you to the pollen.

[SilverSixer]

WinstonWolf said:

Teaspoon of local raw honey every morning. Has to be local and has to be raw (unprocessed). It works by desensitising you to the pollen.

Won't that entirely depend on the kind of pollen you're allergic to? Mine is tree pollen, I don't think bees collect tree pollen.

[WinstonWolf]

SilverSixer said:

WinstonWolf said:

Teaspoon of local raw honey every morning. Has to be local and has to be raw (unprocessed). It works by desensitising you to the pollen.

Won't that entirely depend on the kind of pollen you're allergic to? Mine is tree pollen, I don't think bees collect tree pollen.

Try it, it'll either work or it won't. On the plus side it tastes bloody lovely whatever happens

[SilverSixer]

WinstonWolf said:

SilverSixer said:

WinstonWolf said:

Teaspoon of local raw honey every morning. Has to be local and has to be raw (unprocessed). It works by desensitising you to the pollen.

Won't that entirely depend on the kind of pollen you're allergic to? Mine is tree pollen, I don't think bees collect tree pollen.

Try it, it'll either work or it won't. On the plus side it tastes bloody lovely whatever happens

Fair comment. Not sure how many honey producers I can find in central Reading though! There isn't much room for acres of beehives.

;-)

[tr7v8]

As well as those listed above there is Desloratadine as well. I get hayfever but also get Urticaria so take a minimum of 2 antihistamines a day for all year round.
My hayfever started when I was 35 & moved to Norfolk & the bloody oilseed rape set mine off. Mine starts mid march & finishes mid july.

Also worth trying Chemists Direct for antihistamines as they have no limit on how many you can order at a time. When the urticaria is in full PITA mode I can do 6-8 tablets a day, packets of 30 or 60 don't last long!

[WinstonWolf]

tr7v8 said:

As well as those listed above there is Desloratadine as well. I get hayfever but also get Urticaria so take a minimum of 2 antihistamines a day for all year round.
My hayfever started when I was 35 & moved to Norfolk & the bloody oilseed rape set mine off. Mine starts mid march & finishes mid july.

Also worth trying Chemists Direct for antihistamines as they have no limit on how many you can order at a time. When the urticaria is in full PITA mode I can do 6-8 tablets a day, packets of 30 or 60 don't last long!

The farm where I get my honey from has the hives near fields of rape, you'd probably benefit from local honey

[Paul Dishman]

WinstonWolf said:

Teaspoon of local raw honey every morning. Has to be local and has to be raw (unprocessed). It works by desensitising you to the pollen.

That was trialled (as in Clinical Trial). Found not to work

[Paul Dishman]

tr7v8 said:

As well as those listed above there is Desloratadine as well. I get hayfever but also get Urticaria so take a minimum of 2 antihistamines a day for all year round.
My hayfever started when I was 35 & moved to Norfolk & the bloody oilseed rape set mine off. Mine starts mid march & finishes mid july.

Also worth trying Chemists Direct for antihistamines as they have no limit on how many you can order at a time. When the urticaria is in full PITA mode I can do 6-8 tablets a day, packets of 30 or 60 don't last long!

Desloratadine is the first pass metabolite of loratadine, so no clinical advantage is gained by taking it. It was launched in the UK when Clarityn patent expired. The dose is one tablet daily, so taking between six and eight times the maximum dose isn't sensible, that's why we restrict OTC sales

[tr7v8]

Paul Dishman said:

tr7v8 said:

As well as those listed above there is Desloratadine as well. I get hayfever but also get Urticaria so take a minimum of 2 antihistamines a day for all year round.
My hayfever started when I was 35 & moved to Norfolk & the bloody oilseed rape set mine off. Mine starts mid march & finishes mid july.

Also worth trying Chemists Direct for antihistamines as they have no limit on how many you can order at a time. When the urticaria is in full PITA mode I can do 6-8 tablets a day, packets of 30 or 60 don't last long!

Desloratadine is the first pass metabolite of loratadine, so no clinical advantage is gained by taking it. It was launched in the UK when Clarityn patent expired. The dose is one tablet daily, so taking between six and eight times the maximum dose isn't sensible, that's why we restrict OTC sales

Interesting the comment on Desloratadine, it definitely has a different effect on me. It is also prescription only.
As for dosing, this was advised by my Consultant Dermatologist. He did say it isn't part of the normal dosing regime but it does help when I have an Urticaria flare up. I very often have to take a mix of antihistamines to get it under control. Otherwise it is back to my consultant. This happened a few years ago when I had been to Los Vegas & caught a flu like virus when I got back. The flare up took 3 months of hell to get under control.

[WinstonWolf]

Paul Dishman said:

WinstonWolf said:

Teaspoon of local raw honey every morning. Has to be local and has to be raw (unprocessed). It works by desensitising you to the pollen.

That was trialled (as in Clinical Trial). Found not to work

Seems to help me when I'm riding in rape fields, could be placebo, don't really care as it makes my porridge taste bloody lovely

[TwistingMyMelon]

Had it on and off for years , never that bad

3 years ago moved back to Wilts, it was neverending and ground me down

All of the over the counter stuff had no effect on me , or made it worse

Went to GP, he prescribed me 5 different things and said try each one and see which works

Got a prescription spray, worked a treat, stops it dead, no hayferver, just s dry mouth when I cycle

I'd deffo recommend see your GP , not all treatments work for all people

[boyse7en]

Thanks for all the advice.

Have been taking the Loratadine tablets for a bit longer (about a week now) and they are having an effect. Much less sinus pain/blocking than before, although I still seem to be sneezing a lot.

Also got some Opticrom eye drops which i use 4 times a day, which are stopping my eyes itching really well.


Just for info, I have lived in the same area all my life, and have lived in the same house for the past 13 years, so why I'm suddenly affected I've got no idea. No new crops apparent in the fields near me (mainly grass for horses and dairy). Its a mystery.

[boyse7en]

boyse7en said:

Thanks for all the advice.

Have been taking the Loratadine tablets for a bit longer (about a week now) and they are having an effect. Much less sinus pain/blocking than before, although I still seem to be sneezing a lot.

Also got some Opticrom eye drops which i use 4 times a day, which are stopping my eyes itching really well.


Just for info, I have lived in the same area all my life, and have lived in the same house for the past 13 years, so why I'm suddenly affected I've got no idea. No new crops apparent in the fields near me (mainly grass for horses and dairy). Its a mystery.

I lied, after a not too bad week at work, I've just had the mother of all weekends at home - streaming eyes, sinuses so blocked I can't breathe through my nose, painfully sore skin (like sunburn). Off to Chemist's later

[jmorgan]

I think hay fever (asthma as well.....) can be many things that combine, house dust for example. I am not sure my reactions are too the same thing all the time.

Our first hoover just used to redistribute the dust around the house (no HEPA filter in them days). New carpets or hoover? I think it is the house dust mite that is the bad boy in the house? Hotels get me going as well, the carpets and hoovers they use.


Opticrom eye drops are the mutts nuts

[minerva]

It is advisable to trial many different types/sorts to see which one works for you.

After loratadine, desloratadine, cetirizine, etc ask for fexofenadine. It is newest and (maybe) best.

Also ask for different drops/Sprays just to find your favourite. Not only do all drugs act differently, all humans also act differently to those drugs.

We used to offer a steroid injection (kenalog was trade name and triamcinolone was generic name) and it was fantastic at stopping hay fever, but it had side effects. If the symptoms are really getting you down, the steroid will work for the season.